Collapsible fruit box



R. E. LOWEY. I COLLAPSIBLE FRUIT BOX. APPLICATION, F ILED MAY 23.1921.

I Patentedsept. 26,1922.-

III 4 IIIIII IIIII Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

siren STAT BCOLLAPSIBLE FRUIT BOX.

Application :filedMay 23,

To alt whom it may aoncema:

Be it known that L-Bor EUGENE Lower, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntington, in the county .of Huntington and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Fruit Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and "exact description of the invention, such xas willenable others skilled in theart to which .it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements, in. collapsible. boxes such as are used for small fruits or vegetables, or the like, such boxes being preferably made of cardboard or-other suitable collapsible material. a p I With such devices it is especially desirable to transport same from the maker to the vendor or to the user in the knockdown form for convenience in transportation and. storage, and to have the devices so constructed that each unit shall constitute a complete box without the possibility of any of the parts becoming detached or lost, and the box so arranged that it mav be quickly set up in the proper position for use, or quickly knocked down again when desired.

With such devices it is especially impor tant that the box shall be cheap and simple in construction and eificient in use; also that it shall not require any special skill or in telligent manipulation, as such boxes are designed for use by unskilled labor, gener ally, often by children.

My invention will be more fully understood after reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the. several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box in the set-up position ready for use, parts being shown broken away for the sake of clearness in the drawings.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the box shown in Figure 1, but with part of the bottom broken away to show the supporting lips.

Figure 3 shows a section along the line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows, the bottom being shown in dotted lines in the raised position. I

Figure 4 is a plan view of the box in the collapsed condition, the parts being shown on a smaller scale.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the tongue used.

19.21; serial in. 471,665.

to form the four sides of the box,'the parts being on the same scale as in F igs l to 3.

Figure 6 is a planvicw .otthe"blank which forms the bottom of the box; and

.F1gure 7 is a detail showing one of the staples the dotted lines indicating the .same

when in the bent over position, v

A represents the main blank which forms the .four sides of the box. This-blank. is 1 provided with creased orvwea'lrened lines 1, 2 and 3, tofacilitate bending z-theblank to form the corners of the box. The blank is. also provided with creased" or weakened lines 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 toi'provide for folding the end lip 9 and the bottom supporting lips 10, 11, 12 and 1-3.

The blank A is. also provided with .a

tongue 14 stampedout of one side th-creof,

and opposite the bottom'h'inge of the bot tom, as will be hereinafter described, to

serve as a latch to prevent the bottom from being lifted upwards accidentally or when not desired.

The blank B is provided with a creased or weakened line 15 adjacent to the lip 16, which lip is held between the lip 11. and the adjacent side of the box by means of a staple 0, shown in Figs; 2 and 3. Such staple is shown in detail in Figure 7.

In assembling the parts when in the knock down condition the lips 10, 11, 12 and' 13 are bent inwards and fastened to the ad acent inner wall of the blank A by staples C or C, all of said staples being of simllar construction to that shown in Figure 7.

The lip 16 of the bottom blank is secured between the lip 11 and the adjacent side of the box opposite the tongue 14 when the box is in the open condition shown in Figure 1.

The end lip 9 of the blank A is secured to the opposite edge of the blank, preferably by glue or cement, but it may be also stapled to the same if desired.

When in the collapsed form the box hes flat with the end of the bottom blank B proshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to the POST-r,

tion shown in full lines in Fig. 3, and then push in the tongue'14 which will serve as a latch to from swinging up,

revent the free end of the bottom Owing to the fact that the lips 10, 11, 12 and 13 are secured at their central portions 4 by the staples, the free ends of these lips,

due to the resiliency of the cardboard, will tend to spring inwards when the box is opened up, assuming the position shown in Fig. 2 and thus forming a most efficient supporting shelf for the bottom of the box when the latter is filled with fruit or other contents.

In order to knock-down the box it will be simply sufiicient to press 'out the tongue 14, push the free end of the bottom B up to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and then collapse the sides of the box. The parts then return to the position shown in Fig. 4.

Thus it will be seen that the boxes as made may be shipped to the farm in the knockdown condition, may be filled with fruit, and when sold may be either thrown away by the purchaser, or the boxes emptied of the contents and shipped back to the user in the knock-down condition.

It will thus be seen that I provide a very cheap, durable and eflicient container for the purpose stated which may be readily trans ported or re-transported in compact space and quickly and conveniently set up for use, or knocked-down as may be desired.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatus and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention; and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed out in the claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is A knock-down box formed of two toldable blanks provided with weakened folding lines, Said blanks being connected together to form, respectively, the bottom and sides of the box, the blank "for the sides being pro vided with a plurality of lips bent upwards from the bottom thereof, and the bottom blank being provided with a lip secured in side 01"- one of the lips of the side blank, and the said side blank being provided opposite said bottom lip with a tongue made integral therewith and adapted to be pressed inwards to form a latch for the bottom of the box.

ROY EUGENE LOlWEY. 

